Kevin Federline "Definitely Rooting" for Britney

Despite a protracted and contentious custody battle, Kevin Federline says there is no love lost between him and Britney Spears, whom he is "definitely rooting for" in her recovery and comeback.

"That's the mother of my children. Just because I'm not in love with her doesn't mean that I don't love her," Federline tells People. "I'm definitely rooting for her. There's nothing more that I want than for her to be in the best health and doing what she loves to do."

Federline and Spears split in 2006 after two years of marriage. In her MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, the songstress implied that their union fell apart when Federline chose to focus on his aspiring rap career instead of their family, which includes sons, Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2. But Federline says he wanted to work on their troubled marriage.

"We were having complications," he says. "I didn't give her an ultimatum, but I was trying to work stuff out with her, and she didn't even talk to me or anything and went behind my back and filed [for divorce]. [I was] completely blindsided."

Also blindsiding Federline were Spears' breakdowns earlier in the year, which started with the night she locked herself and Jayden in the bathroom. "That whole night is a blur. You want to talk about one of my lowest points of depression, that was probably one of them," he says. "I was very, very worried for her 'cause I care about her."

Since a conservatorship has been set in place for Spears, things have been "totally turning around." Denying that he fought for custody of their boys for money, the 30-year-old says his kids (he also has a daughter, Kori, 6, and a son, Kaleb, 4, with ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson) are his top priority and is glad they now have increased visitation with their mother.

"There's structure over there, there's structure at my house," he says. "We're trying to keep the same type of schedule. It doesn't have to be completely perfect, but the foundation is there."